At Milwards Estate in August two families became one and one wife proved that she really is her husbands greatest cheerleader!
Our day started at Yvonne’s house with a hive of activity and a seriously good vibe, I knew as soon as I arrived that I was in for a fun day.
Joanne of J.L.S Mobile Hairdressing was busy working her magic when I arrived and the bridesmaids were all helping each other do their make up and nails.
There was lots of quintessentially British talk about the weather due to this being one of the windiest days of the year but the main thing was that it was dry so we were all happy.
When we arrived at Milwards the staff had planned ahead for an indoor ceremony due to the adverse weather conditions. This took place in the beautiful Coach House, with its vaulted ceilings and exposed beams it made for a stunning ceremony space and overlooked some of the 150 acres of organic grass meadows, the large lake and the lakeside marquee that the staff were busy adding extra weights and ties to.
After the ceremony we decided to brave the gales and head down to the lake for the formal group shots, everyone was such great sports and laughed with good humour when we had to keep moving about so that their hair was at least not blowing on to their faces. As a seasoned wedding photographer I’ve fought against blaring midday sun and torrential downpours many a time but such a storm was a new one for me and was interesting to say the least haha.
The marquee had been beautifully decorated to coincide with James and Yvonne’s pirate theme, including a beautiful cake by Great Cakes with an amazing cake topper by Lucy’s Toppers. The guests enjoyed each others company whilst listening to the very talented Hannah Renton.
After the meal and speeches (and a few drinks) I took the opportunity to grab the Groom, best man and ushers for a few photos. I’m not usually one to pose people or use props but there just happened to be a boat sitting by the lake that seemed to beg us to use it, so we did!
Once it was time for the ladies to have their photos done we seemed to attract a rather large flock of ducks that call Milwards their home, the maid of honour did a sterling job of protecting us from them and making us all laugh at the same time!
The remainder of the afternoon was filled with fun and laughter, Yvonne’s Mum and step-mum kept everyone entertained by getting in to the children’s sumo wrestling suits that were provided by Cooke’s Castles.
When it was time for the first dance to say that I was excited would be an understatement – that morning Yvonne and her Mum had let me in to a little secret – Yvonne’s beautiful dress from Bows Bride in Hastings had been customized so that she could whip the main skirt off and reveal a hot pink cheerleading outfit.
James knew absolutely nothing of this and took to the dancefloor for their first dance to the slow version of ‘Cheerleader’, his face when Yvonne told the DJ to kill the music and walked off the dancefloor was hilarious – His face when the normal version began playing and his wife returned a couple of seconds later in her cheerleading outfit complete with a big glittery ‘J’ and pink pom poms was an absolute picture!
